


The Gift

by Selenic



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: AU, Friendship, Halloween, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-17 12:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selenic/pseuds/Selenic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In all honesty, John did feel scared, but it wasn’t ghosts that he was worried about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Gift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> Decided to take part in a Trick or Treat meme this year, with very unexpected results :)
> 
> This is the first kid!fic, _and_ the first AU (slight as it is) I've ever done! The story just somehow poured out of my head, and I had so much fun writing it :) Hope you will enjoy this too.
> 
> This treat was written for [hoktauri](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hoktauri), who—once again it seems—has managed to broaden my horizons where fandom and writing are concerned. Thank you! ^_^
> 
> Unbetad, all mistakes are mine, all comments are welcomed! (Crossposted on [LJ](http://selenic76.livejournal.com/7942.html))

 

The Gift

 

The door of the long abandoned house opened with a creak befitting any horror story, revealing a long dark hallway. Cold air brushed past John, making him shiver, but he couldn’t stop now. Every kid in the neighbourhood would make fun of him if he backed down on the dare. _Especially_ after Rodney had already gone in first; John simply _had to_ prove he was at least as brave as a weird, nerdy Canadian kid.

Glancing over his shoulder, he could see his friends peering at him from a safe distance, right behind the wrought iron gate.

“Hurry up already, John!” Evan shouted impatiently. “Though you weren’t scared of any ghosts!”

“Yeah!” Aiden chimed in. Like they were any braver.

In all honesty, John did feel scared, but it wasn’t ghosts that he was worried about. Taking a deep breath, he stepped over the threshold and walked in to the darkness, leaving a second set of footprints in the thick dust on the carpet.

Following the path made by the first ones, John ended up in what appeared to be a living-room, though not like any he had seen. There was a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Half of the crystals were missing and it was covered in cobweb, but it still chimed eerily in the breeze blowing from the broken windows. The full moon shone in through them, creating rectangular pools of light on the floor. John stopped inside one of them.

“Took you long enough,” a sarcastic voice called out from somewhere in the shadows. “I was beginning to wonder if you were worth waiting around for.” _How could an eleven-year-old boy ever sound so—old_ , John thought. But that’s why he was here. There was something about Rodney that attracted him, like a tree you just had to climb all the way to the top, even if it meant you could fall and hurt yourself. Because up there, you felt closer to the sky.

John reached into his pocket, fingers curling around his precious gift. It felt cold. It was a stroke of luck that Billy had one in his collections, thanks to his dad who was a geologist. John had swapped most of his favourite comics for it; a steep price, but hopefully worth paying.

“I found this,” he lied as he pulled it out, extending his arm and revealing the offering on his palm. “Think it might be a meteorite, heard you like stuff like that.”

“Let me see it,” Rodney demanded, and suddenly appeared in front of John. He snagged the gnarly lump, looking at it from all sides, testing its weight in his hand. John waited nervously for the results of the inspection.

“You... could actually be right,” Rodney finally said in awe, with just a hint of genuine surprise in his voice. “Of course, I can’t be certain before I have a chance to examine it more thoroughly,” he went on in a more serious tone. Then he turned his inquisitive stare on John, a pondering look in his eyes. “But I’d be willing to trade it for something, if you’re interested.”

This was it. John gathered his courage.

“I don’t know,” he feigned hesitation. “I mean, it’s pretty cool to own a meteorite.” To his surprise, Rodney looked positively crestfallen. “But I might consider giving it to you,” John added hastily. “If you became my friend.” Rodney’s face brightened up.

“You would? Really?” It was the first time John heard him sound his age, excited yet nervous. Maybe he wasn’t so different from John after all.

“Sure, what are friends for,” John replied, and smiled happily.

Rodney squeezed the meteorite into his hand and smiled back, blue eyes sparkling. “Okay then, _friend_ ,” he said, trying out the word, and it made John feel oddly warm inside.

“We better get back, before the others get worried,” John suggested. It was getting late after all, and he should be heading home soon.

“Nah,” Rodney said and grabbed his hand. “Let’s sneak out the back and let them think the ghosts took us.”

John nodded, grinning conspiratorially, and the pair ran out into the night, laughing.

 

~~~ End ~~~

 


End file.
